


Hangups

by rayn (Rayn)



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-11
Updated: 2012-04-11
Packaged: 2017-11-03 11:01:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/380671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rayn/pseuds/rayn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy is having some trouble wrapping his head around the fact that his current interest is not remotely female.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hangups

Roy liked girls. He liked girls rather a lot, actually. To his knowledge, there was nothing at all female about Edward Elric, and so, at first, he was just perplexed by the whole situation. 

It was little things at first, things he attributed to relief that Edward’s disappearance had just been a very long exile, and not the death everyone had feared. Ed had come back, for the first time in Roy’s memory, wearing something that wasn’t gaudy crimson and leather. The years had been _good_ to him, less compact than Roy remembered, his face a bit softer, as if he didn’t spend most of his time angry any longer. He’d become something quite beautiful, though, when the word sprang to mind, Roy whisked it away, excusing the idea by way of his shock that Edward was alive at all. Of course, that had to be it. Ed could have popped in bedraggled, and nowhere near as stunning as he admittedly was, and it would still be beautiful, because he was home. 

And so, that stray thought was written off for a little while. If Edward seeped into his thoughts more and more often, it was just on account of the novelty that his former subordinate was home, nothing more. If he found himself making excuses to stop by the little house Ed shared in Central with his brother, it was only to make sure he hadn’t dreamed this all up as a way to assuage his own guilt over Ed’s ill fortunes. 

Roy knew people, could think circles around most of them. He planned for every eventuality, every likely reaction on the part of whoever he was dealing with. It seemed, however, he had not accounted for the fact that the other side of the gate changed more than Edward’s appearance. 

At first, Edward had seemed genuinely surprised when he answered the door. Eventually, though, his expression faded into something else, as if he’d caught onto something that entirely escaped Roy. There was something that Roy _might_ have described as predatory in the smile that began to greet him, if it had been anyone other than Ed. 

Short conversations on the stoop slowly evolved into being invited in for coffee, like all those days of “being in the neighborhood” had finally earned him a place at Ed’s dining table. One night, Edward held idle conversation as he wandered about the kitchen, chopping up vegetables and cooking something, and it wasn’t until he dropped three plates down on the table that Roy realized he was staying for dinner as well. 

The first time Ed kissed him, he tried to tell himself that he wanted to pull away. That was _not_ what this was all about, what their unconventional friendship really boiled down to. Only, Edward actually had very nice lips when Roy stopped to think about it, not as soft or pliant as most women he’d kissed, but nice all the same. The feel of it lingered for hours after he’d made an excuse to leave. The kicker of it all was, Edward hadn’t even had the decency to look surprised, or hurt or… Actually, he’d mostly just looked amused, and cheerfully waved Roy off as if he knew without a doubt that he’d be back. 

Okay, so Ed was a good kisser. That didn’t mean he _wanted_ Ed to kiss him. Only yes, actually he probably did. He wasn’t sure what exactly he’d done so terrible that it warranted this…cosmic practical joke. His eyes were very well aware that despite Ed’s hair (that Roy did _not_ want to just bury his fingers in, thank you very much), he was very, very not a woman. This fact seemed to be lost on the rest of him, though, especially his feet that kept walking him back to Ed’s house despite his protests that he did not want to be there on a Friday night when he could be _out_ … with a _woman_.

He wasn’t actually entirely sure how he’d ended up here in Edward’s bedroom, or what had possessed him to agree to this particular setup. Well, Edward _did_ have a valid point in regards to the fact that he really knew more about what was going on. It might have also had something to do with the fact that Ed waited to tell him that he was, in fact, _not_ willing to be anyone’s guinea pig just yet until after he’d done quite a number on Roy’s lips and throat. It didn’t even occur to him to argue at the time, anything to make Ed kiss him like that again. If there was a woman that kissed that way, he’d never met her.

Had things kept going like that, he probably wouldn’t have had the coherency to second guess any of this. As it was, though, he was currently _alone_ in Ed’s room, down to his boxers, and acutely aware of the feel of a soft, red comforter brushing the underside of his thighs and calves. Edward had disappeared with some sort of mumbled explanation he hadn’t been able to make out, but didn’t like the sound of anyway, and now, here he was, beginning to forget why exactly this wasn’t a _terrible_ idea. 

“What’s the matter with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” Edward broke the silence, abruptly wandering back in. The fact that he was very much without his shirt only served as more of a reminder that he was rather lacking in breasts and other female appendages. When Roy didn’t immediately answer, he just shook his head, sending long tendrils of hair flying for a moment before they settled over his shoulders. Maybe if only looked from the shoulders up, he could pretend… Only no, that wouldn’t work either. Ed was _pretty_ , but not in a particularly girly way. 

Edward looked at Roy thoughtfully, as if trying to sort something out. Finally, he plopped down on the bed, tossing the small bottle he held in his hand over to the bedside table. Well, that explained where he’d gone, anyway. Sadly, it also leant a realism to the whole situation that Roy wasn’t sure he was happy about. Somehow, he’d liked things better when there was still some plausible deniability, when Edward had completely taken him by surprise. The longer he sat here, the more of a choice it was, and a disconcerting one at that. 

“You know, if you really don’t want to be here, no one is stopping you from leaving,” Edward grumbled, flopping back on the bed, arms stretched lazily over his head. He looked rather enticing like that, pants minus their belt and riding quite low on his hips, shirt forgotten altogether. 

“What makes you think I don’t want to be here,” Roy replied carefully, falling back on old habits that had served him well when Ed had been young and easy to read, habits that still served him well in regards to the majority of the world, in fact.

Edward, for his part, didn’t buy it. He rolled on his side, propping his cheek in his human hand and _looked_ at Roy, like he could see right through him. There was a roll of golden eyes and a soft snort as his gaze raked over Roy from head to toe. “You don’t look like someone who wants to be here.”

But that wasn’t the case. As much as he hated to admit it, there was no denying that he _did_ want to be here, and he was sure Ed was every bit as aware of it as he was, perhaps more so, because the thought had hit him only very recently. 

“You know what your problem is?” Edward asked, not waiting for a response before he continued. “You keep looking at me like I’m some dumb kid, and I’m not. I haven’t been in years. I _do_ know what I’m doing, you know, probably better than you do.”

“Of course you do, “ Roy grated out, “My _problem_ is that I don’t date men, and I _certainly_ don’t sleep with them.”

Edward had changed, as if the absence of alchemy and his brother on the other side had forced him to grow into himself. Roy wasn’t sure he wanted to know what or who had made him like this, what had happened that allowed Edward to be half naked with another man in his room and shrug it off like it was _normal_. Another glance at Ed’s face, those damnably kissable lips, and there was that amused expression again.

“Of course not,” Edward replied with a nod, schooling the smile, just barely, off his lips. “You know, I’m really curious to know what happened. I remember you being a bastard, but I’m pretty sure you weren’t an _idiot_.”

Before Roy could respond, there were lips over his, warm and distracting, and perhaps if he closed his eyes…”Look, Roy, if you _really_ don’t want to be here, then go home. Otherwise, quit being a pansy and relax.”

Somehow, the fact that Ed was Ed, gruff and to the point even now, was rather settling. Perhaps this wasn’t such a big deal after all, and Roy did, in fact, relax a little. Edward snorted, but otherwise ignored whatever dilemma Roy might be having in favor of attacking his neck, peppering it with kisses and nips. He lost his balance, and they both tumbled back onto the mattress, which seemed to be much to Ed’s satisfaction at least. 

Edward seemed fairly determined not to do any more talking after that, a fact Roy was rather glad about. He’d coaxed more than one hesitant partner into bed, and it had always been something gentle and soft, with lots of whispering and reassurance. He only just barely remembered a time when he’d been at the other end of things before, many years before. Edward did not seem capable of such niceties, though, his actions insinuating that Roy could put up or walk away. It was relieving in its own way, that Ed was as blunt and forceful here as he was in everything else. Roy wasn’t entirely sure he could handle being coddled by Edward Elric. 

Lips trailed down his throat as mismatched fingers slid over his chest, reminding him how bare it was and refusing to let him forget exactly who he was with, even for a moment. Despite the heat of the rest of him, Ed’s automail was cool, almost soothing against Roy’s skin. 

Ed’s fingers whisked downwards, eliciting shivers as they grazed Roy’s chest, pausing in passing to brush against a nipple. Ed was better at this than he’d really expected, and Roy still couldn’t decide whether that made him relieved that he wouldn’t have to suffer through someone else’s fumbling, or just feel inadequate, because, despite his own extensive experience, Edward was somehow a whole new ballgame. 

He let himself be distracted by lips and teeth at his neck, and hardly noticed the downward slide of Ed’s fingers until they paused at his waist.

“Are you going to stop being a spazz now?” Ed asked, his face inches from Roy’s. He’d realize later that Ed was actually being very sweet in his own roundabout way, hoping he wasn’t just taking advantage of Roy’s pride, and the gruffness was mostly just an attempt to keep a little normalcy between them. 

Right now, what Roy noticed was that he’d never seen Ed’s eyes this close before. He’d never really taken note of the way they weren’t entirely solid in color, flecks of a darker, more burnished color dappling the bright gold everyone noticed first. He might have just stayed put and stared, if Ed had let him. Ed, though, cleared his throat impatiently, bringing him back to something like reality. 

“I’m fine,” Roy finally replied, too lust dazed to really be insulted by the question. To his surprise, he was finding the answer to be true. After all, while Ed’s methods were a little different, his touches firmer, kisses more demanding than most of the women he’d been with, the results were the same. It was something like the energy of alchemy that fluttered and jumped down his spine, following Ed’s fingers as they dragged the last of his clothes down his thighs. 

It was then he noticed that Ed was still mostly clothed. “Is there some particular reason why I’m naked and you aren’t?”

Ed blinked, processing the question, and then he at least had the decency to look a bit flustered before he grumbled, “Didn’t see much point. I figured you were just going to run away again.”

Roy ignored the fact that Ed almost looked hurt by the whole denial bit, as if he thought Roy had found something wrong with liking him personally. Roy was too busy being affronted to comment, instead insisting, “I did _not_ run away.”

“Every step of the way has been pulling fucking teeth with you. Just for the record, making some excuse to leave when all I did was kiss you… like if you leave it didn’t happen? That? That would be running away,” Ed growled.

“I wasn’t running away. I was trying to sort this out. It’s not exactly an ordinary thing for me,” Roy retorted defensively.

“What’s to sort out? Look, I _get_ that I’m not a girl, and that’s some kind of weird problem for you, but it’s not like I’m an alien or something.” Ed sighed, looking a little wilted.

Roy didn’t know how he was meant to respond to that, and so he didn’t. The silence between them was awkward and stiff, and finally he asked softly, “Are we done fighting now?”

“If you’re done spazzing about your weird gender hang up or whatever it is, then yes,” Ed affirmed. It was sort of endearing, really, the way Ed was oblivious to social conventions, could ignore facts that would get to most people in favor of simply enjoying life. Maybe he’d learned it on the other side of the gate, wherever that place he’d been exiled was, but Roy suspected he’d always been this way. 

He watched as Ed tugged at the front of his own pants, pulling them and his boxers off with an indecipherable grumble. Once finished, he stood a little awkwardly, looking very much like he wanted to hide his automail, and possibly the rest of himself as well. That even after all his blustering, Ed was just as unsure as Roy felt seemed to level things out a bit. 

“You know, not that I’d presume to correct your methods or anything, seeing as how you know so much more about this than I do, but… I’ve got to ask how you expect to accomplish anything from across the room. “ Roy smiled, feeling a bit steadier, barely containing the urge to laugh at Ed’s scowl.

“I was just waiting for…” Edward trailed off, his nose wrinkling in confusion.

“For what?” Roy prodded, desperately trying to hide his amusement. 

“For umm… I don’t know, okay?” Ed’s lips turned down, and he closed the distance between them, pouncing on Roy before the man could insult or tease him again.

Roy found himself assaulted by warm lips and frantically scrabbling fingers, his lap full of a very naked Edward Elric. There were teeth at his throat, and palms over his chest, sending him sprawling back against the mattress, Ed’s weight squarely on top of him. Ed hmmed in satisfaction, otherwise mostly quiet, his mouth otherwise occupied. 

Kisses trailed down his front, and Edward with them, metal and flesh hands sliding down Roy’s sides to settle at his hips. A warm tongue slid down his sternum and over his stomach, the warmth and wetness punctuated by occasional soft puffs of air. It made his skin tingle, and he tried to ignore the mischievous smile that crossed Ed’s lips when he shivered. 

Those same lips left teasing kisses along the knobs of his hips, descending downward and inward, within a hairsbreadth of being useful, but never quite touching. Luminous golden eyes peered up at him through equally golden locks of hair. A soft, pink tongue darted out from between Ed’s lips, flicking against his length from base to tip before disappearing again. 

Roy wasn’t entirely sure he was happy about being subjected to Ed’s teasing, but then Ed did it again, drawing out the contact a little more, wrapping his lips about the tip of Roy’s cock. He couldn’t remember exactly what he’d just been grumbling about, coherence threatening to take a hike as Ed drew him in until he hit the back of Ed’s throat, completely enveloped in heat. 

He wasn’t sure how Ed had managed to pick up the bottle from the nightstand without him noticing. He hadn’t even realized Ed had it open until oil slicked fingers slid along the inside of his thigh, reaching the junction of his leg and hip, and pausing to brush against his balls before sliding backward. Ed said nothing, content to continue the rhythmic bobbing of his head, but his fingers only brushed against Roy, and large, bright eyes met his gaze, waiting for a response. 

Roy pulled in a sharp breath, considering for a fleeting moment. It was all more real now, any deniability out the window with a simple shake of the head. He nodded anyway, closing his eyes and waiting for the sharp burn he expected to come. Ed pressed forward, quite shallowly, pausing with what might have been a flustered sigh.

He thought to ask what Ed was waiting for, but felt that that would require finding words that didn’t sound petulant, and Ed seemed to be explaining anyway. “I don’t want to hurt you. It hurts if you don’t relax so… “

Edward’s automail fingers rubbed soothingly over Roy’s hip in lieu of finishing the sentence, remarkably patient considering who he was. Eventually, he seemed satisfied, when Roy sank bonelessly against the mattress, and pushed further. It felt a bit strange, but as Ed had promised on more than one occasion, did not hurt. 

There was a strange rhythm to it, Ed’s finger moving in time with his mouth until Roy’s toes curled from the feel of it. There was a very slight burn as Ed pulled the one finger away, replacing it with two, but the pain had already ebbed by the time he had registered it enough to complain. 

The third stung too, but Ed pressed apologetic kisses over his hips in response, and as he managed to relax, the feeling went away once more. Any residual feeling was chased off by Ed crooking his fingers, setting a fire that burned from the inside out and shot sparks behind closed eyelids. He wanted, badly, and was probably more surprised than Ed was when his hips rocked, seeking more, harder, deeper. The whine that dragged its way from his throat when Ed completely pulled his fingers away might have been humiliating if he hadn’t been entirely lust drunk. 

“Okay?” Ed murmured, reaching for the now familiar bottle, pausing as he waited for a response. Roy nodded, lacking the coherency to scowl or suggest that if Ed stopped now, he might end up a bit… singed. 

Edward nudged his legs a little further apart, settling between them. There was little warning, other than a slight tremor that ran through Ed’s hands where they came to rest on his shoulders. In this alone, Ed seemed capable of being gentle, and Roy swore he could feel himself beginning to come undone. Ed pressed against him, into him, different from his fingers, though not bad. Teeth nibbled at his ear, and he could hear the catch in Ed’s breath as he slid forward, finally coming to a halt. 

There was a pause as Ed waited for him to let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and then he let himself be overwhelmed by the steady slide of Ed’s hips. Fingertips left his shoulders, red marks marring his skin in their absence, and brushed down his chest, finally settling at his waist. His name fell from Edward’s lips, almost pleading, like they did this all the time, and he barely had the chance to wonder if he should find that odd, the familiarity of it all, before he was drowning in sensation. 

He barely heard his own pleasured whimper as Ed’s human hand wormed between them. It wrapped around his cock, sliding in tandem with the almost frantic thrust of his hips, and the sensation was so new that there was no fighting against it. The feeling of Ed inside him, around him, Ed’s voice murmuring appreciative curses… It was all completely intoxicating and left him helpless but to arch against it all, feeling like the burning down wick of a fire cracker. 

They careened towards a breaking point, where everything got to be too much, and any control that had remained promptly melted. Edward gasped and shuddered, teeth sinking into his shoulder, and release burned through him until there was nothing left but ashes. 

The room fell quiet, save the soft sounds of heavy breathing. Roy shivered as Ed withdrew, settling against him with a sleepy grin.

“Somehow I’d always pegged you for having the sex drive of a rock,” Roy murmured against Ed’s cheek. 

Ed looked mildly insulted, but only shrugged. “I had more important things to think about back then…Wait, what are you suggesting?”

“I wasn’t suggesting anything. I was just impressed by how much effort you went to for… this,” Roy replied, honestly surprised by the angry glare that met his eyes. 

“This wasn’t _about_ a fucking romp in the sheets,” Edward growled, the irony of his wording apparently utterly lost on him. 

Roy raised a brow at him, not entirely sure what to make of Ed’s sudden irritation. 

A small bout of verbal finagling garnered him the explanation that this had all been a product of Ed’s roundabout logic in trying to reach some part of Roy that had nothing at all to do with his body. It had simply been the most efficient way he could think to prove that he was who he was regardless of what manner of wrapping he wore. 

“You thought having sex with me would make me want a relationship with you?” Roy asked, very much perplexed.

“No,” Edward huffed, rolling his eyes like it was the rest of the world who happened to have weird logic, but certainly not him. “It’s just that it’s a nonissue for me. You’re the one with the weird gender hang up or whatever. I was just… making a point.”

“Is your point made?” Roy asked, lips quirking in rather affectionate amusement that Ed seemed to find him worth the effort, issues and all. 

“I don’t know. You don’t _seem_ to be considering running away anymore… so maybe. One can never be too sure, though.” Ed leaned down, kissing him soundly on the lips, “Still feel like running away?”

“Depends. If I say yes, do we get to go through all this again?”


End file.
